| Castor | |||||||||||||
| Function: | Sounding rocket | ||||||||||||
| Manufacturer: | Instituto de Investigaciones Aeronáuticas y Espaciales (IIAE) | ||||||||||||
| Country-Origin: | Argentina | ||||||||||||
| Stages: | 2 | ||||||||||||
| Sites: | CELPA Chamical, Vice Commodore Marambio Base, Chilca | ||||||||||||
| Launches: | 7 | ||||||||||||
| Success: | 6 | ||||||||||||
| Fail: | 1 | ||||||||||||
| First: | December 22, 1969 | ||||||||||||
| Last: | March 22, 1979 | ||||||||||||
| Stagedata: |
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The Castor A was an Argentine sounding rocket designed in 1969 by the Instituto de Investigaciones Aeronáuticas y Espaciales (IIAE).[1] [2]
The rocket featured a two-stage configuration, utilizing five Canopus II rockets (four in the first stage and one in the second). It was capable of placing a 75 kg (165 lb) payload at a 400 km altitude.
Throughout its operational lifespan, the Castor A was launched seven times.[3] It experienced one failure during one of its launches, thus achieving a success rate of approximately 83.3%.
Castor was launched seven times:
| Date | Mission Type | Nation | Agency | Apogee | Launch Site | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 22, 1969 | Test mission | Argentina | IIAE | 52 km | CELPA Chamical | |
| December 19, 1970 | Test mission | Argentina | IIAE | 45 km | CELPA Chamical | |
| November 22, 1973 | Ion beam Ionosphere mission | Germany | MPE | 406 km | CELPA Chamical | |
| September 30, 1975 | Ionosphere mission | Germany | MPE | 400 km | Vice Commodore Marambio Base, Antarctica | |
| October 3, 1975 | Ionosphere mission | Germany | MPE | 400 km | Vice Commodore Marambio Base, Antarctica | |
| March 21, 1979, 11:49 PM | Spread F Barium release mission | Germany | DFVLR | Failure | Chilca, Peru | |
| March 22, 1979, 11:59 PM | Spread F Barium release mission | Germany | DFVLR | 268 km | Chilca, Peru |